Apparatus for the visual interpretation of speech and music



' Dec. 27, 1927.

D.. G. BLATTNER APPARATUS FOR THE VISUAL INTERPRETATION OF SPEECH ANDMUSIC Filed Oct. 6, 1925 lnvenfon- David G. B/afiner Patented D c. 21', 1921.

UNITED STATES M 1,654,068- PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID G. BLATTNEB, OF BOGOTA, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG'NOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION N'EW' YORK.

APPARATUS FOR THE VISUAL INTERPEETATION- OF SPEECH AND MUSIC.

Application filed: October 6. 1925. Serial No. 60,716.

mony with the articulate sounds produced by a phonograph or other sound reproduc ing system.

The invention'provides means for accentua'ting the artistic effect produced by musical and other programs whose themes suggest various de rees of light and color. The invention may be employed, for example, in systems of the typev disclosed and-claimed in a copendingnpplication of E. B. Craft, Serial No. 60.715, filed Octoberfi, 1925, in which a portion of the energy in an electriw cal sound reproducing system isfiutilized to produce complementary tones and shades of light and color. 35 In the system disclosed in the Craft application, the illumination produced by a plurality of colored lamps is varied in accordance with the characteristic frequencies and intensities of the sound wave energy in such a way that a variation in intensity of the li ht from a maximum brilliancy to com: p ete darkness may be obtained according to thesound produced. According to a feature of the present invention, means are provided for controllin the light produced in such a system in sue a way that the illumination will never fall below a predetermined minimum intensity.

The various features and advantages of I the invention will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing,

in wh1ch:.

Fi 1 is 'a circuit diagram of a' phonograp reproducing system embodying the invention. Y

.Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cabinet phonograph equipped in accordance with the invention. I In Fig. 1, a phonograph reproducer 5 is cou led through a transformer 6 to an ampli er 7, the output of which is coupled through a second transformer 8 and circuit 9 to an electrically operated loud speaker 10. The reproducer 5 may be of any suitable lsclosed and claimed in a copending' application of H. C. Harrison, Serial No. 66,624, filed November 3, 1925. The reproducer 5, when actuated by a phonograph record, as illustrated, generates electrical currents which drive an electromagnetic motor element of the loud speaker 10 of any well known constructionin accordance with the record. The volume level of the re roduced speech or music may be controlled in any well-known manner,:as by adjusting the amplifier 7 to control the electrical input to the oud speaker. a

A plurality of channels, including wave filters F,, F, and F respectively, are asso-' ciated with the circuit 9. The output side of the filter F is coupled to. an amplifying detector A,, which may be of the space discharge ty e, having an incandescent lamp L connecte in its output circuit. "Similarly, detector A and lamp L, are connected in circuit with the filter F and detector A, and lamp L, are connected in circuit with filter F The several wave filters employed in the system are designed to freely transmit a reassi ned range of frequencies and to e ective y suppress all fre uencies' lying outside of such range. 'Filter F for example, may be a low pass filter transmittin all frequencies from zero to 410 cycles, and suppressin all other frequencies. Filter F, may be 0 the band pass type, designed to transmit frequencies of 410 to 820 cycles, and filter F t pe, such as the electromagnetic reproducer may be a high pass filter transmittin all frequencies above 800 cycles. These fi ters may be designed in accordance with the principles set forth in the U. S. patent to Camp bell No. 1,227,113, issued May 22, 1917.

The generator G and rectifier 11 constitute a common source of space current and filament heating current for the amplifying detectors'A A and A and also serve to supply energy to the lamps L,, L, and L,,. A grid polarizing battery 12 is connected in common to the cathodes of the several detectortubes. In operation, a small ortion of the ener in the circuit 9 of the loud speaker will e selectively"transmitted by one or more of the filters F,, F, and F to the input circuits of the respective detectors, depending upon the frequency and intensity of the trans nected in series with the common source of' space current and in parallel with the anodes of the respective space discharge devices A,, A and A thus forming a plurality of closed loop circuits, each of which includes the common source of space current supply, a lamp and the associated resistance element. The lamp L for example, is normally energized over a circuit ineluding the rectifier 11, the filament of lamp L and resistance element R,, thus causing this lamp to glow to a predetermined intensity when no energy is supplied from the circuit 9 to the channel including the filter F The lamps L and L are caused to glow in a similar manner. When energy from the circuit 9 is transmitted to a given channel, however, space current will flow in the associated detector circuit to establish a low impedance path for the respective lamp.

It will be seen from the above that the intensity of illumination may be varied in maximum brilliancy in harmony with the sound variations produced by the loud speaker 10. If desired, the lamp L,, which is controlled by the lower frequencies, may be coloredred, while the lamp L controlled by the intermediate frequencies, may be col-.

ored green, and the lamp L controlled by the higher frequencies, may be blue. These particular" colors are arbitrarily associated with the various frequency bands, but a definite relation may, of course, be established in keeping with the use to which the invention is ut. A greater variety of color tones may a so be obtained by employing a greater number of channels and differently colored lamps.

In Fig. 2 a plurality of electric lamps, each controlled by a predetermined band of frequencies, are clustered together inside an opalescent bowl 13 mounted on a cabinet ments either with or without a diffusing screen.

The invention is, of course, susceptible of various other modifications not specifically referred to but included within th scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a system for visual interpretation of acoustical efiects in combination, a source for generating sound wave frequencies, a sound reproducer, a circuit operatively associating thesound reproduccr with the sound Wave generator, a plurality of lamps associated with the circuit and selectively responsive to intensity and frequency of currents in said circuit, and means for limiting the minimum intensity of the light from the lamps.

' 2. In a system according to claim. 1, auxiliary means for lighting the lamps to a predetermined minimum brilliancy.

In a system for visual interpretation of acoustical effects in combination, a source of.sound wave frequencies, asound reproducer, a circuit operatively associating the source of sounduave frequencies and the sound reproducer, a plurality of lamps, a detector for each lamp having its output circuit associated with the lamp and its input associated with the circuit connecting the source of sound wave frequencies and the sound reproducer, and auxiliary means for continually supplying current to the lamps. insensible gradations from a minimum to a 4. In a system for the visual interpretation of acoustical effects in combination, a source of sound wave frequency, a sound reproducer, a circuit connectin said source with said reproducer, a plurality of space discharge devices having their inputs associated with said circuit, a source of light individual to each of the space dischar 'e devices, a resistance individual to each of said lights, and asource of space current common to said lights, resistances and space discharge devices.

5. In a system according to claim 4 in which the light sources are included in series with the outputs of the space discharge devices and the common source of current and resistances are included in shunt of the lights.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 5th day of October A. D., 1925.

phonograph 14. The lamps may also be mounted in many other artistic arrange- DAVID G. BLATTNER. 

